Water collection apparatus and method

ABSTRACT

An apparatus and method for passively collecting water in an environment where dew forms are disclosed. The apparatus has a radial body which includes a hydrophobic surface that is supported at a slope of about 10 to 80 degrees from the direction of gravity. The apparatus may also include ridges which increase the surface area of the body thus increasing dew collection and provide shade which reduces the temperature increase of the body when the apparatus is exposed to sunlight. The method includes supporting a hydrophobic radial surface at a slope of about 10 to 80 degrees from the direction of gravity and waiting for dew or condensation to form on the hydrophobic surface and run down the hydrophobic surface to either a reservoir or a beneficiary of the passively collected water, such as the roots of a plant.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/635,764, filed Dec. 11, 2009. The patent application identified aboveis incorporated herein by reference in its entirety to providecontinuity of disclosure.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to water collection, and moreparticularly, to a water collection apparatus and method for collectingdew and condensation, in addition to rain water.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Water is essential to human, animal and plant life. Humans require, onaverage, 2 to 5 liters of water a day to sustain life. Water is alsoneeded for agriculture, to provide food for humans and animals.

Despite the great need for water, just 3% of the global water supply isfresh water that can be used by humans for consumption and foragriculture. Further, about 69% of the world's fresh water is locked inglaciers and ice caps and almost all of the rest is ground water. Lakesand rivers, rainwater, dew, fog, condensation and evaporation areadditional sources of fresh water. Only about 0.3% of fresh water iscontained in lakes and rivers, which supplies most of the water humansuse.

Transporting fresh water from lakes and rivers to where water is neededtypically involves the installation of piping and the use of pumps, orother water distribution methods, all of which require energy and incurcosts.

In desert regions, fresh water is scarce. The average amount ofprecipitation is less than 25 centimeters a year and evaporation exceedsprecipitation. At present, approximately one-sixth of the land on earthis desert and desertification of marginal rangeland or cropland throughextended drought, overgrazing or climate change continues at a rate ofseveral hundred thousand square kilometers to millions of squarekilometers per year. Yet about half of the deserts of the world getenough rainfall to sustain at least light livestock grazing oragriculture which if managed suitably could significantly increase theworld's food supply.

It would be desirable to collect water more proximate to where water isneeded so as to reduce energy consumption and costs associated withtransporting water and it would also be desirable to increase the watersupply in areas where fresh water is scarce. Accordingly, there remainsa need for improvements in the art.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect, the present invention provides an apparatus forpassively collecting water in an environment where dew forms comprising:a radial body comprising a first portion at a slope of about 10 to 80degrees from the direction of gravity and comprising a plurality ofridges; and a second portion for supporting the first portion surface atthe slope.

According to another aspect, the present invention provides an apparatusfor passively collecting water in an environment where dew formscomprising: a body comprising a hydrophobic surface at a slope of about10 to 80 degrees from the direction of gravity; and a portion forsupporting the hydrophobic surface at the slope.

According to another aspect, the present invention provides a method forpassively collecting water in an environment where dew forms comprising:supporting a hydrophobic radial surface at a slope of about 10 to 80degrees from the direction of gravity; and waiting for dew orcondensation to form on the hydrophobic surface and run down thehydrophobic surface to a beneficiary or reservoir for the passivelycollected water.

Other aspects and features according to the present application willbecome apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art upon review ofthe following description of embodiments of the invention in conjunctionwith the accompanying figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings which show, byway of example, embodiments of the invention, and how they may becarried into effect, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of an apparatus for passively collectingwater according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the apparatus of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of a method for passively collecting wateraccording to an embodiment of the present invention.

Like reference numerals indicate like or corresponding elements in thedrawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Embodiments of the present invention are generally directed to anapparatus and method for water collection.

According to embodiments of the invention, the apparatus passivelycollects water, which may be directed to a beneficiary or reservoir andused for any purpose which uses water. It may be used for agriculturalirrigation, including in warm semi-arid environments. It may also beused for the irrigation and reintroduction of plant species to areas ofdesertification. As such, passive irrigation may improve the viabilityof the deserts of the world.

Deserts are a good environment for dew formation as deserts typicallyhave hot days and cool nights. For example, summer temperatures in asemi-arid desert may be between 21 to 27 degrees Celsius in the day,cooling to about 10 degrees Celsius at night. As dew is condensation ofmoisture in the air that collects on an object when its surface becomescooler than the moisture in the air, dew tends to form at the lowesttemperatures of the day, which are often just prior sunrise. Dew is alsoqualitatively equivalent to precipitation in terms of environmentalimpact and may equal or exceed the rainfall received by some deserts.

According to an embodiment of the apparatus as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG.2, the water collection apparatus 10 has a body 20 which has a firstportion 22 and a second portion 30. The first portion 22 may comprise ahydrophobic surface 26. The first portion 22 may comprise a hydrophobicmaterial such as a plastic or polymer resin providing the hydrophobicsurface 26, or the first portion 22 may comprise a substrate 28, such asa moulded or cast polymer resin, plastic, or thin metal, and a coatingor skin which may comprise one or more of Teflon™, an OPUR™ thin foilcoating product, a hydrophobic paint such as Lotus™ paints, a polymerresin containing a microsphere, or other suitable alternatives known inthe art. The hydrophobic surface 26 may also comprise amicro-topographic or laser micro-processed surface to reduce theadhesive force on the water droplets by trapping air under them; thusreducing their surface contact. According to an embodiment, the firstportion 22 may comprise a second hydrophobic surface 27 on the undersideof the body 20. According to a further embodiment, the entire surface ofthe body 20 may be hydrophobic.

Hydrophobic surfaces do not allow for the adhesion of the water droplet.This is desirable as a water molecule transfers heat energy to a surfacewhen it adheres to the surface. Hydrophobic surfaces may also reducewater contact with the surface by over 95% when a microscopic texturedsurface is used. This may be desirable as it reduces the heat generatedby friction from the water moving across the hydrophobic surfaces 26 and27. Thus, the hydrophobic surfaces 26 and 27 may increase the efficiencyof water collection by reducing the absorption of water into the body 20and reducing the water lost to evaporation arising from the heatgenerated by friction from the water moving across the hydrophobicsurfaces 26 and 27. The hydrophobic surfaces 26 and 27 may also increasethe flow of water into the reservoir, which may be any type of reservoiror water receptacle or water storage system, or the beneficiary of thepassively collected water such as a plant 4 or the roots 6 of the plant4.

Since dew forms on cool surfaces, reducing heat build-up may alsoincrease dew collection as more dew will form on the hydrophobic surface26, the cooler the surface temperature of the body 20 is kept. Once thesurface temperature of the body 20 rises, dew may not form as moistureincreasingly evaporates. However, rising air temperature may causemoisture to evaporate from the ground beneath the body 20 and thencondense on hydrophobic surface 27. As a result, dew and condensationtypically occur at different times during the day—dew in the earlymorning and condensation during the mid-afternoon as the air temperatureincreases. This allows for a cyclical process for the collection ofwater.

According to an embodiment, the body 20 may be white or suitablylight-coloured so as to reduce the absorption of heat from sunlight,which may increase dew collection. According to a further embodimentwhere the apparatus collects water and directs it toward a plant 4, thebody 20 may be sage or suitably neutral-coloured such that only amoderate amount of sunlight is reflected off of the body 20 towards theplant 4. While this may increase the temperature of the body 20 duringthe day as more sunlight may be absorbed by a neutral-coloured body 20than a light-coloured body 20, the neutral-coloured body 20 may reducemoisture loss by the plant 4 through transpiration due to the reducedamount of sunlight reflected off of the body 20 into the plant 4.

According to an embodiment, the first portion 22 may be sloped at anangle of about 10 to 80 degrees relative to the direction of gravity.According to a further embodiment, the first portion 22 may be sloped atan angle of about 50 to 70 degrees relative to the direction of gravity.According to a yet further embodiment, the slope of the first portion 22may be about 60 degrees relative to the direction of gravity, which is aslope which may be preferred for dew collection. Gravity is used fortransportation of the dew, condensation or rain water across thehydrophobic surfaces 26 and 27 to the reservoir or beneficiary such asthe roots 6 of the plant 4. Dew or rain water may also run down theouter side 34 of the second portion 30 and condensation may run down theinner side 32 of the second portion 30, both of which may irrigate theroots 6 of the plant 4 which may assist the roots 6 to grow out further.

According to an embodiment, the second portion 30 may support at leastin part the first portion 22, and the body 20 may substantially enclosethe ground surface area underneath the body 20. Ground water whichevaporates from the ground 2 that is enclosed by the first portion 22and the second portion 30 may be trapped by the body 20 and forms ascondensation on the hydrophobic surface 27. The condensation runs downthe hydrophobic surface 27 on the underside of the body 20 to thereservoir or to the beneficiary of the passively collected water, suchas the roots 6 of the plant 4 due to gravity. Trapping condensation inthis fashion may reduce the amount of water lost through evaporation,which can be significant in semi-arid and arid climates.

According to an embodiment of the apparatus, the body 20 may comprise agenerally radial shape that directs water flow, such as from dew,rainfall and condensation, to a reservoir or a beneficiary of thepassively collected water, such as the roots 6 of a plant 4. Accordingto an embodiment of the apparatus as shown in FIG. 2, the body 20 may begenerally radial in shape and may be positioned around a reservoir or abeneficiary of the passively collected water, such as the roots 6 of aplant 4.

According to an embodiment, the body 20 may be also lightweight, strong,resilient to high temperatures and ultraviolet radiation, andwaterproof. According to a further embodiment, the body 20 may be madefrom organic matter so as to be biodegradable and may also be configuredto degrade after a particular duration has elapsed.

According to an embodiment, the body 20 may also comprise a plurality ofridges 50 which may be formed at approximately 10 to 80 degree angles ateither side of each ridge 50. According to a further embodiment, theridges 50 may be formed at approximately 20 to 40 degree angles ateither side of the ridges 50. According to a yet further embodiment, theridges 50 may be formed at approximately 30 degree angles at either sideof the ridges 50, which is a slope which may be preferred for dewcollection. The ridges 50 provide the body 20 with a greater surfacearea on which dew may form, which may increase water collection. Theridges 50 may also create shade which may reduce temperature increasesof the body 20 caused by sunlight.

As wind may increase the water lost by the plant 4 through evaporation,according to an embodiment the body 20 may be shaped to reduce themoisture lost by the plant 4 to wind by at least partially shielding theplant 4 from wind. This retained moisture may keep the plant 4 coolerduring the heat of the day and may therefore reduce the water lost bythe plant 4 through transpiration to regulate the temperature of theplant 4.

According to an embodiment of the apparatus, the body 20 may becollapsible along ridges 50 which may facilitate compact storage andshipping of the apparatus, as well as may provide for the angle oneither side of the ridges 50 to be adjustable. A collapsible body 20 mayalso provide for the body 20 to be deployed in partially radial shapessuch as a half-circle.

A person skilled in the art will also appreciate that rain watercollection, as well as dew and condensation collection, may increase byincreasing the size of the water collection apparatus 10.

According to an embodiment of the method as shown in FIG. 3 andindicated generally by reference 300, water may be passively collectedin an environment where dew forms by a step of supporting a hydrophobicradial surface at a slope of about 10 to 80 degrees from the directionof gravity 310 and a step of waiting for dew or condensation to form onthe hydrophobic surface and run down the hydrophobic surface to abeneficiary or reservoir for the passively collected water 320.According to a further embodiment of the method, the slope may be about50 to 70 degrees from the direction of gravity. According to a yetfurther embodiment of the method, the slope may be about 60 degrees fromthe direction of gravity. According to an embodiment, the method 300 maybe carried out using a water collection apparatus such as the watercollection apparatus 10, which may include a plurality of ridges 50 asdescribed above. According to an embodiment, the beneficiary for thepassively collected water may be a plant 4 which may comprise roots 6.

The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms withoutdeparting from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. Certainadaptations and modifications of the invention will be obvious to thoseskilled in the art. Therefore, the presently discussed embodiments areconsidered to be illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of theinvention being indicated by the appended claims rather than theforegoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning andrange of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embracedtherein.

1. An apparatus for passively collecting water in an environment wheredew forms comprising: a body comprising a plurality of ridges andfurther comprising a hydrophobic surface at a slope of about 10 to 80degrees from the direction of gravity; and a portion for supporting thehydrophobic surface at the slope; wherein the body is collapsible alongthe plurality of ridges and wherein the body, when the apparatus ispositioned for use on a surface in the environment, substantiallyencloses the area of the surface in the environment underneath the body.2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the slope is about 50 to 70 degreesfrom the direction of gravity.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein theslope is about 60 degrees from the direction of gravity.
 4. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein the body further comprises a secondhydrophobic surface.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the body isradial in shape.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the body isannular in shape.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the body ispartially radial in shape.
 8. A method for passively collecting water inan environment where dew forms comprising: expanding a collapsed body ofan apparatus for passively collecting water; positioning the body on asurface in the environment to substantially enclose the area of thesurface in the environment underneath the body; supporting a hydrophobicradial surface on the body at a slope of about 10 to 80 degrees from thedirection of gravity; and waiting for dew or condensation to form on thehydrophobic surface and run down the hydrophobic surface to abeneficiary or reservoir for the passively collected water.
 9. Themethod of claim 8, wherein the body comprises a plurality of ridges. 10.The method of claim 8, wherein the slope is about 60 degrees from thedirection of gravity.
 11. The method of claim 8, wherein the beneficiarycomprises a plant.
 12. The method of claim 8, wherein the beneficiarycomprises a plurality of plants.